A comprehensive guide to workflow automation

Benefits of workflow automation

Workflow automation enables tasks like employee onboarding, invoice processing and information sharing to be done in a fraction of the time compared to manual processes. Here are some other benefits of workflow automation:

1. Drives greater efficiency and productivity

Embracing workflow automation in business processes minimizes or eliminates redundancies where possible.

Features like automated approvals pave the way for quicker reviews — ensuring teams do not need to paper chase, hunt down information or manually follow up on the next sequence in a task to get something done.

But it doesn’t stop there. Heightened transparency is one thing, but harnessing workflow automation also means tasks that used to take hours can be completed in mere minutes. With automation, your organization can channel more hours toward other revenue-generating, strategic tasks.

2. Reduces manual errors

By implementing predefined business rules within workflows, organizations establish essential “guardrails” or fail-safe measures that determine which data is acceptable and which isn't.

Only processes that fit these conditions can move forward. For instance, business rules can be set in an invoice processing system to verify that all invoices must match the corresponding purchase order and that they fall within a predefined budget threshold.

Should an invoice deviate from these rules, the workflow automation system can flag it for human review, thereby leveraging the combined effort of automation and minimal human intervention to ensure total accuracy.

3. Creates clearer workflow processes

Workflow automation provides business users with a clear roadmap of their tasks, processes or other pending action items — eliminating ambiguity and helping administrators continuously optimize workflows to minimize bottlenecks.

This clarity also eliminates the need for back-and-forth communication to check on status updates, which ultimately results in a more efficient workflow.

The relevant person at each stage of the workflow will be notified automatically with the necessary documents, eliminating the risk of missed or delayed tasks. Knowledge workers can spend more time on strategic planning and problem-solving and less on micromanaging.

4. Centralizes and automates information management

An automated workflow serves as a powerful mechanism for centralizing and automating information management within an organization. Integrating directly with your existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and other platforms, the automation workflow simplifies data access and facilitates a streamlined process for employees to obtain relevant information.

All data inputs and updates can now occur in real time, allowing everyone access to the most recent and accurate information. This eliminates the need for multiple data entry points, reducing the risk of errors and inconsistencies while enhancing overall data integrity.

With automated workflows, routine tasks are programmed and executed automatically. For instance, data reports can be generated and distributed automatically at scheduled intervals or when certain data parameters are met.

5. Elevates customer experiences

Your customers demand nothing less than swift and personalized experiences. And that's precisely where automated workflows step in.

Workflow automation streamlines customer inquiries, orders and other standard issues — providing a service that's not just prompt but also consistently high in quality. Here are some examples of how it does this:

• Automated interactions: Businesses can use automated workflows to provide prompt, standard responses to common queries, which enhances customer communication.
• Task assignments: Automated workflows can delegate tasks to employees based on their skill sets or job roles, which leads to a more efficient distribution of workload and reduces time wastage.
• Customer feedback collection: Automated workflows can send out surveys or feedback forms to customers post-purchase or service, which can help businesses better understand the customer experience and make necessary improvements.

How to implement workflow automation in 5 steps

The blueprint for efficient, automated workflows starts with an organization’s capability to both recognize productivity gaps and outline the unique processes it takes to eliminate them. The five fundamental workflow automation procedures are:

1. Define your objectives

Organizations need to have a clear understanding of what they want to achieve with workflow automation. Like all good goals, they should be measurable, understandable and have clear benefits to the team.

Goals could range from increasing productivity and reducing human error, to saving time or improving customer service. Clear objectives will guide your subsequent steps and provide a basis for measuring success.

2. Identify tasks to automate

Not all tasks are suitable for automation. Focus on monotonous, repetitive tasks that do not require human judgment, such as data entry, generating reports or sending follow-up emails.

Prioritize straightforward conditions that are triggered by certain scenarios like repetitive and predictable actions, as well as steps that hold up the process if not actioned on.

3. Build your team

The team should consist of representatives from all departments affected by the new system, including IT staff, managers and other business end users.

They will have the most at stake in the project and will also be able to offer the best insights. Their input will ensure the system meets everyone's needs and help facilitate smoother adoption.

> Learn more | What it takes to drive digital transformation enterprise-wide

4. Choose the right workflow automation software for you

Choose a solution that fits your business needs and can be scaled for expansion to other processes and departments. Consider your choice based on these crucial questions:

• How user-friendly is the software? Will it require extensive training for our team?
• Can the software seamlessly integrate with your existing systems, such as your CRM, ERP or HR software?
• Does the software offer both on-premises and cloud-based deployment options? Which one aligns better with your business needs and IT infrastructure?
• What measures are in place to ensure data backup and recovery in the event of system failures or disasters?
• How is data handled within the software? Is data encryption used?

5. Measure and improve performance

Gathering feedback from business users during practical usage helps actively identify and rectify any inherent issues. This stage of refining the system is a necessary precursor to the final step: Evaluating key performance indicators to enhance your workflow.

Continuous monitoring and assessment of your automated workflow are fundamental in pinpointing bottlenecks and suggesting areas for improvement.

Use cases of workflow automation in organizations

Automated workflows range in complexity. They can range from simple requests and approvals to multiple prebuilt rules and triggers that manage robust decision-making. Here’s how workflow automation works in day-to-day operations for:

• Banks and financial institutions: Automation facilitates the seamless tracking, monitoring and reporting of transactions, which is pivotal to meeting regulatory standards.
• Invoice processing: Enhances invoice processing by expediting payment cycles, reducing human error, improving recordkeeping and freeing up staff time for more strategic tasks.
• Human Resources (HR): Onboarding new employees, reviewing job applications, responding to job applicants and generating HR documents.
• Sales: Building lists, generating reports and following up through email.
• IT: Assigning tickets and tasks to team members, managing IT assets and controlling access.
• Healthcare: Electronic health record (EHR) systems can be integrated with workflow automation, making it easier to manage patient records, access relevant information and reduce administrative burden.

See automation in action:

• How this credit union deployed 150 workflows to increase speed and accuracy
• How this airline captured, digitized and automated paper invoices for 700+ business users
• What UNC Health did to eliminate medical image silos—powered by automated workflows

Workflow automation vs. RPA

Workflow automation automates the flow of documentation and other activities within a process.

Robotic process automation (RPA), however, uses software bots to carry out repetitive tasks based on defined, rules-based processes to automate entire workflows from beginning to end.

RPA mimics the mouse movements and interactions that human users would carry out in a workflow, allowing for greater speed and accuracy to reach the successful completion of a workflow.

Workflow automation and RPA work best together through a content services provider that combines both intelligent automation technologies. From here, workflow tasks like employee onboarding, invoice processing and information sharing are done rapidly, in a fraction of the time it would take manual processes to complete the same task.

> Read more | How is RPA different from BPM?

Best practices for effective workflow automation

The successful implementation of workflow automation is contingent upon the establishment of best practices and a well-structured roadmap. Here are some best practices to keep in mind to ensure consistency and efficiency:

• Start small: Choose a simple, repetitive task that consumes unnecessary time and automate it first. This provides an opportunity to learn, adapt and gain confidence before moving on to more complex processes.
• Focus on UX: User experience (UX) should be a key consideration — and the ultimate aim should be to create solutions that are intuitive, easy to use and reduce the effort needed to complete tasks. Encourage feedback from users to further improve the UX.
• Review regularly: Workflow automation is not a set-and-forget solution. Regular reviews are necessary to ensure the automation is delivering the expected benefits, which also provides a window of opportunity to identify and resolve inefficiencies.
• Don't forget about exceptions: While automating, special attention should be paid to any exceptional cases that might occur. The system should be designed to handle these exceptions smoothly or alert the appropriate personnel when they arise.
• Document your plans: Detailed documentation of your plans, including the processes to be automated, the goals, the expected outcomes and any potential risks, is essential. This can facilitate communication, provide a reference for future modifications and support continuity if key team members leave or are unavailable.

Core features of workflow automation software

Workflow automation software enables business processes to be scheduled and executed according to user-defined rules.

In that same vein, solutions equipped with machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities would also streamline how information (contained in digital or paper documents) is captured, stored and shared between many stakeholders.

Organizations that use low-code development platforms (flexible solutions without the need for extensive custom coding) stand to build and deploy efficient workflow automation with minimal involvement from IT teams.

Using a low-code business process management platform streamlines workflows with features like:

• Configurable, visual-based and intuitive drag-and-drop interfaces that reduce the need for complex coding
• Permission controls to assign user roles and regulate who can view or edit workflows
• Real-time notifications to specific users when steps are pending or an item is up for review
• A process mining tool that analyzes process bottlenecks and promotes workflow transparency
• Audit trails that are the result of a detailed outline of tasks, steps and processes in a workflow to manage business compliance